Determination of the enzymatic activity of the main enzymes involved in photosynthesis, aerobic respiration, glycolysis and ethanolic fermentation in plants of E. grandis, clone FJ367

• Grant number: 25/15033-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Forestry
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Alberto Labate
• Grantee: João Vitor Sousa Bruni
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/01012-9 - Biology of xylogenesis, methane production and emission by eucalypt, AP.TEM

Abstract

Eucalyptus stands out as one of the main species used in commercial forestry plantations in Brazil, boasting high growth rates and timber productivity. However, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that regulate wood formation (xylogenesis) still lack in-depth understanding. Considering that different planting densities and seasonality can affect light availability and, consequently, cortical photosynthetic activity, these environmental variations are expected to cause changes in eucalyptus energy metabolism. Gene expression, as well as the enzymatic activity of primary metabolism in the vascular region of the plant, can vary in response to proposed environmental stimuli. Therefore, this project aims to characterize the activity of the main enzymes involved in cortical photosynthetic metabolism: glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid, and alcoholic fermentation. To this end, eucalyptus seedlings up to one year old, grown in a greenhouse, and trees up to three years old, grown in the field, will be analyzed. Furthermore, the plants will be grown under two different spacing patterns: the standard (3x2) and the model with greater spacing between trees (3x5); 3 m between rows and 5 m between plants. Plant material will be collected during two different seasonal periods-winter and summer. This will allow integration between existing proteome and enzymatic data, which will allow the identification of potential differentially expressed genes and their associated enzymes, indicating possible adaptations of the cambial region to environmental variations. (AU)